Training of Psychosocial Counselors in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

In cooperation with Malteser Werke, Ipso trained sixteen migrants with a professional background in health care or social sciences from eleven countries in Value Based Counseling. Ten graduates of the one-year full-time training in Rostock are now being employed by Malteser Werke as Psychosocial Counselors and continue to be supervised by Ipso. They will support fellow migrants at refugee accommodations operated by Malteser Werke and cooperation partners all over Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with culturally sensitive, empathetic counseling at eye-level in their native languages. In addition, an Ipso counseling office was set up in Rostock.

The project significantly improves psychosocial care of refugees and contributes to the successful integration of migrants in two ways. Firstly, the service is provided by counselors who have experienced displacement  and speak the native language of their clients and share their  cultural backgrounds. Additionally, migrants qualify for the German job market. During the practical part of the twelve-month full-time training, the trainees have already counseled more than 500 clients in more than sixteen languages. In addition, more than 2100 awareness sessions on mental health were held at the refugee accommodations.

Picture ©Andrew Aitchison